#my canon warden btw

[hallaslin]

My Surana if u even care

[an-asshole-catboi]

My Rook, a Grey Warden dwarf: If the Dreadwolf has a million haters I'm one of them. If the Dreadwolf has five haters I'm one of them. If the Dreadwolf has one hater that one is me. If the Dreadwolf has no haters, I am no longer alive.

[crows-of-buckets]

So like. Surely in veilguard there's going to be some mention of whether or not the hof found a cure to the calling yeah? But I really doubt bioware is going to make the calling 100% reversible or whatever. Anyways what if the hof ended up in one of those ghilnain pools and is now a creepy fucking overpowered monster. Theoretically. It would give them a pass out of curing the calling at least

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I may be laying on the floor staring into the void, merely vibrating as my brain rots about Veilguard, Rook, the companions, and Solas.

...this is the perfect excuse to replay my canon route.

Apologies in advance: I'm about to make my brainrot replay a problem for everyone and everything in my vicinity.

[pupkinpumpkin]

I would like to say thank you to Cullen for breaking the tradition of me romancing characters I actually don't want to romance bc I worry about their happiness and wellbeing if I don't

[peppermintgrim]

*blows a kiss to my computer* this one's for you, Aldith Sereda Wilhelmine Aeducan, kinslayer & kingmaker

[xhatake]

alt!

Send me "alt!" and I'll introduce you to a character I've rped in the past, want to play in the future or are currently playing somewhere else! [ ellis cousland @higheverlost ]

It was supposed to be a good day. Ellis had risen with the sun, eager to stretch the light of dawn as far as he could. Fergus was supposed to march with the majority of Highever’s forces that day & Ellis still had a sliver of hope that he may be permitted to go as well. it was a long shot, but there was an ache in his hear that could only be satisfied with acclaim. It had always been a dream of his to become a hero, sheathed in the blinding light of glory & gore. He was a second son, his legacy would be carved by his own hand. Stories of Grey Wardens riding into battle on the backs of griffons had filled his head since he was a boy. Surely the blight was the single thing that could see these fantasies become reality.

Ellis had shared a quick breakfast with his sister, assuming that their older brother, Fergus was spending time with his family before he marched ... it was then, that he & Lily had been summoned to their father’s side. they had gathered in the great hall with lord howe, who implied that his daughter may be looking for a husband. ellis politely declined. though they had not made it official, his heart belonged to another. Astoria had left only weeks before & Ellis already missed her. he wonders if he'll be a hero by the next time they met. she would get a kick out of that, surely.

There was one man who stood out against the others. In the mix of familiar faces, warriors, lords, he was introduced to someone else.a real-life grey warden, Duncan,  had stood in their halls. He looked exactly as Ellis had always imagined, a stone wall of a man with two blades that had likely seen more battles than Ellis could count... & Ellis could count pretty high.

Excitement had boiled over in his chest when Duncan said that he & his sister were his first choice of recruits. To Ellis’ dismay, his suggestion was shot down immediately. His father needed them here, to watch over Highever while they battled against the blight. Where Ellis opened his mouth to try & fight his father on the subject, Lily was quick to cut him off. She didn’t seem too keen on laying her life down for Ferelden & was already threatened with the loss of Fergus... She needed at least one of her brothers to see the end of this.

Ellis had nearly missed a passing conversation in all the excitement. Howe had made a point to identify he & Lily as Bryce Cousland’s younger children. He had thought nothing of it, distracted by another pressing matter... But in hindsight, he would wish he had taken note of it.

On his way to say goodbye to their older brother, the duo was stopped by their sweet mother. Her silver hair reflected the sunlight, radiating a certain grace. With her was a lady she was supposed to be going north with, away from the greater part of the conflict. Ellis nearly misses their conversation in the eyes of one of her pretty companions but snaps back to reality at his mother's firm voice. He & his sister's hounds had gotten into the kitchens, seemingly to gorge themselves on lard. but things were not as they seemed, as Backup & Fergie had unveiled a grand plan to stop the rats that threatened their home. nan had carried on & on until she heard the word ‘ rats ‘. after that she had been quick to throw the dogs a treat & rush them on their way. They had likely been coming from an old passage in the pantry, trying to invade the kitchens through.

The rest of the day passes like a dream, filled with more emotions than Ellis knows how to comprehend. He had exchanged a tearful goodbye with Fergus & accepted that he would be left behind. When he marched from highever with the bulk of their forces,a sinking feeling ignnited many racing thoughts of death, fears of loss...He had decided to distract himself with a different sort of company, inviting the woman he had met earlier to join him in his bedchambers for the night. His heart may belong to Astoria, but the sentiment did not yet extend to his body. Sleep takes him, providing temporary relief from an uncertain future.

What he does not expect is when he is woken in the night. It's his hound that wakes him; Fergie whines at the sound of steel clashing in the hall outside of his room. Ellis throws on his clothes, collects his weapons & wakes his companion. She doesn't make it very far, as she is killed when he throws his door open to see what's going on. It's a bitter feeling, but he pushes through regardless. He tears through men in armor that reflects the dim light of the candles that lit their halls. Despair settles in his stomach as he realizes their numbers are too great. Every time he dances out of the reach of one sword, another is ready to meet him. He braces himself as a man threatens to bring down his weapon on Ellis' face, but something stops him.

The swift ' thwip' echoes across the hall Ellis has torn was way into, resolving in an arrow through Ellis' opponent's chest. It was a powerful blow & he raises his gaze to see his mother, at last. It is strange to see her in armor. Usually, she was dressed like a proper lady, in the colors of their family. But there was something legendary about the ferocity in her eyes as she defended her son. They tear through the rest of their opponents with renewed faith, stopping only after the last of them stopped breathing. there were still the sounds of conflict echoing all through Highever, a warning of what awaited them when they left this hall. Ellis kicks over one of the dead men, recognizing the men as one of Howe's soldiers.

One of Howe's men. Betrayal. Ellis tries to contain the rage that begins to grow in his chest, coming to a thousand different conclusions of how this came to pass. All he could think was how lucky the lord was to be elsewhere, or Ellis would ensure he ended up in the same pile of gore as his men. Despite his rage, there is one thought that cuts through every assumption.

" We have to go. " Ellis speaks before his mother can react, his mind already racing in regards to the wellbeing of his sister. His mother nods & they come to the understanding that this will be their last night together. What Ellis does not know, however, is how determined his mother is to insure the survival of her children. Ellis mind is already racing, as are his breaths. For all he dreamed of battle, he had never thought it would find him in the walls of his own home, " We have to find Lily. "

[lampost-in-winter]

I do remember Trick Weekes confirming years ago that they left whether Solas and Lavellan had sex up to player insterpretation. Which was absolutely the right move btw (you avoid alienating and/or triggering a good chunk of the fanbase, makes the romance more ace-friendly, and it has spared us 10 years of fandom wars over whether Solas is an irredeemable rapist).

I personally really like the non-sex interpretation because (a) as an ace myself I like headcanoning my Inky as somewhere in the ace spectrum and thus not in a hurry to taint her warden; and (b) consent is canonically a big thing for Solas ("is not abuse if I ask for it" "not always true" and so on), and him drawing a hard line on not sleeping with Lavellan until she knows he’s Fen'harel makes him 200% hotter to me, specifically. And also, like, the yearning of it all.

But you guys do you.

[pumpkinlass]

@beepoven

Thank you so much ???? This is crazy kind to say !! 😭😭 I read all my tags btw!! ; w ; Even the pieces that get into the 1000's, even when I'm not active or feel up to typing/being social.

I originally created Mahariel solely because I'd never romanced Morrigan on a save before and was blind-sided by just how engaging and meaningful their story ended up playing out. I actually fell so head over heels, that Mahariel is now the canon warden of my main playthrough 😂

BUT YOU ARE JUST SO RIGHT !!! The ties to all the other aspects of canon are just SUCH fun.

Dad!Mahariel + Morrigan raising an elf-blooded Kieran while traveling between worlds as a little family ?? Just the three of them all alone (for a time) in the crossroads, engaging with the Eluvian's and the ancient Elven world that's all around them. The years they spent there ?? Translating, dreaming, meditating, living.

I think about Merrill fixing the mirror that infected Mahariel in the first place, and how he would have recognized it in the crossroads. Or Kieran, with his old god soul, recognizing his father's blood (and Tamlen and Merrill's) all wrapped up in that Eluvian.

I have a tons of thoughts about them, but this post would get so long LMAO. I'm just so excited to see your excitement about all the different implications as well !!!

[scatterbrainedart]

Emperors in princess dresses, lineup ! And a false surprise

Links to all the individual posts:

Sausage, Jimmy, Pix, Scott, Oli, Katherine, Lizzie, Shelby, Joel, Gem, Joey and Fwhip.

What was that? Canonical- It’s not “canonical heights”? Alright alright.

There you go. Happy? I hope so. As for Lizzie? Well. She has about as much of a canonical height and size as Jesus Christ. Is she the size of a regular cat? Is she the size of a warden? Who knows.

Hm. Yknow, looking at all this, it feels kinda strange. See, I drew everyone who attended the princess tea party, which was everyone. Everyone except FalseSymmetry. And I mean. Sure. She didn’t attend, didn’t wear a dress, I don’t have to draw her. There’s no reason why I should. She doesn’t even HAVE a dress for me to draw.

But still. I can’t just draw the ENITRE crew and leave a single player out. That feels strange. So! I’ve taken the freedom to design her a whole dress from scratch myself. Because it’s what she deserves!

(This is my favourite out of all of them btw. Man, I am so much better at drawing when I give myself more than a single day to work on it)

[sepublic]

From Pilot to Canon, Luz and Eda

With my belief that No Tree Left Behind was boarded as part of the pilot continuity (hence Lilith's depiction), I want to bring up that I think there's kind of a subtle difference between Luz in that episode, or 'Pilot Luz', and Canon Luz as we got in the actual animated show.

With Canon Luz, she's a more brash, confident individual, who can get in over her head; King mentions that she smells of overconfidence, plus there's Luz recklessly getting into stuff like in Covention or Enchanting Grom Fright in the heat of the moment. She has this overwhelming energy and enthusiasm that's unstoppable, but as a result she can sometimes forget about the people around her, hence Wing it like Witches.

And a lot of that has to do with Luz's relationship with The Good Witch Azura in canon, because it means that the Boiling Isles is her fantasy!!! It's her chance, it's her adventure, it's what Manny would push her to go for! So she gives it her all. And in the latter half of the show, Luz's willingness to go at any cost, even to her own detriment, borders on self-sacrifice. In a way she's secretly atoning for her own existence, it's like... 'Socially acceptable' self-harm by risking herself.

So there's a difference in Pilot Luz during NTLB, who is much more averse to the martyr idea; She's a lot more scared and reluctant to fight for Arborgeist, and in a moment of crisis admits she doesn't quite get what Eda is so worked up about. And this makes me think of how the in the pilot continuity, there isn't that same relationship with Azura; The pitch bible reveals we would've had an episode where it's revealed to be written by an ex of Eda's about her, so you can guess that Luz drops it afterwards.

And as the pilot even shows us, Luz didn't choose to be in the Boiling Isles! And in lieu of my latest reblog, that feels relevant because Dana mentioned how in the final show, Luz choosing that was so incredibly important; It was a foundational change to the character's storyline. Luz wants to be here, she wants to risk it, this is the adventure and if she gets bruised up, it's okay. Us weirdoes have to stick together, she declares passionately as she rallies a bunch of strangers against Warden Wrath in the first episode. She becomes in canon the kind of passionate, righteous person who will talk your ear off about a thing and she's right about it.

So looking at the difference between first episodes, it tracks that Pilot Luz is much more reluctant and just trying to survive, hence her not 'getting' Arborgeist, in the sense that she doesn't see what's worth potentially dying over. Whereas with Canon Luz, I think she'd be more than willing to deep dive into this culture and play the hero, she's a social activist.

This isn't to trash on Pilot Luz btw, nor canon Luz; I just find it fascinating to consider how her character has changed and developed, how the story has, and how the difference in first episodes alludes to this. First episodes are very important, they can establish a lot of the core themes and ideas and Dana herself confirmed the significance of certain differences from the initial pilot. So it's fascinating seeing that difference in action, shown to us, rather than having to be told, since normally we couldn't watch the pilot storyboards to see for ourselves. Pilot Luz and Canon Luz are different characters with different flaws and circumstances, and they're both beautiful in their own ways for it.

I'd even argue that in a canon episode like WilW, Luz ends up playing the role Eda has in NTLB! And her stepping down after realizing she (might) hurt a loved one who was dragged into this, only for them to understand how much they care and come back to help for that reason... The story beats live on. Canon Luz would probably be thrilled to see Pilot Eda show so much care about something when she normally doesn't; Whereas Canon Eda becomes more of a practical guardian who's reining her kid in out of experience, because she's been hurt herself and is worried, and a tad pessimistic.

It's like the dynamics between Luz and Eda reversed from pilot to canon, with a scared and reluctant kid and her mentor who can push her too much sometimes; And now it's this overconfident, excited kid who wants to try everything and thinks she's invincible, with her jaded mentor who's a realist but also she cares more than you realize and wants to provide a safety net, being surprisingly thoughtful at times.

It makes sense, because again going back to my last reblog, Luz being more enthusiastic about the isles was to also help her foil other characters better, including Eda, and vice-versa. So it's possible Eda was changed to lean more into her pragmatic mentor role -Not that she doesn't still have her irresponsible, reckless moments- while bouncing off of Luz's new enthusiasm, which can lead to conflict like Luz wanting to try the newest magic and Eda not being in the mood, which leads to Luz being a bit reckless (take for example The Intruder).

Eda being more tired and jaded could also tie to the development of her curse as a disability that exhausts her, since in the pilot continuity the curse only made her age more; In canon, it does that AND messes with her magic stores, which leads to more exhaustion! In addition to becoming a beast. And with Eda becoming disillusioned with the isles due to her traumatic experiences, Luz acts as the light in her life to reignite her passion, which leads to Eda taking a more proactive role against Belos in S2!

She believes in her efficacy more because of how Luz changes the isles because of Eda, which makes Eda become more of an agent for social change as she starts to believe she can make a difference again, just as she did as a teen in IFWOT. Maybe Eda's curse isn't something to feel shame over anymore, maybe she shouldn't let it stop her from rallying everyone...!

Thus, there's not just a difference between Pilot and Canon Luz, but also Pilot and Canon Eda in NWLB. Though I imagine Canon Eda would still help to defend the Arborgeist tree, I'm not as sure about her confidence in attempting to rally others to do the same; She's got that loner vibe who assumes she has to do everything on her own because her own family and lover wouldn't support Eda in her defiance to the coven... But now she does have support in Luz. And King. And some of those loved ones are turning around too, no thanks to Luz's arrival inspiring some!

All this helps culminate in the S1 finale with Eda being used as a rallying cry against Belos, signaling the beginning of the end for his regime as she inspires not just a kid like Luz but other youths like Gus and Willow, and even helps chaperone Grom after avoiding Hexside for years; Eda’s really starting to believe again and she admits that Luz has gotten into her head as the cause.

[exo-raskreia]

hey again, thanks for replying to my previous ask! I have another ask, if you think AiTani (Aizen x Tanisha) have parallels with Ulquihime (Ulquiorra x Orihime?) What do you think are the similarities between the ships?

So in the TCACLOM (the captive and captor's liberation) fan made novel (it's a continuation of post-canon CFYOW events) there is this character named Tanisha Chōdhori, she is appointed the warden of muken and all, she's this stoic and almost nearly emotionless character and then she meets Aizen who she's guarding in Muken obviously and while she guards him, Aizen makes her so infuriated with his words about her true desires and how she desires a path free from soul society that she started feeling emotion in a long time, and she realized that she could openly explore these new emotions if she has Aizen with her so she breaks him out of muken for his companionship while he gets liberation and freedom from imprisonment. For context: Soul Society forced Tanisha as a young girl into this emotionally detached mindset that if she acts the way they want, she'll be a respected member of the Gotei 13 and if she acts in any other way, she'd be criticized for not meeting the standards of how a professional shinigami should be. (The soul society has a bias against Tanisha because of her grandfather named Saphir who ruled the chōdhori clan as the 20th head. The chōdhori clan was a minor clan ruled by the Shiba which was their parent family, so they're basically related ig. The 20th head of the chōdhori clan had attempted to assassinate Kaien Shiba (Before Kaien's Actual Death) to take over the branch of the Shiba clan that Kaien ruled, and by ruling this branch, he could sabotage the other branches of the Shiba Clan but was caught by Ukitake and executed while the rest of the chōdhori clan was exiled to the poorest district of rukongai to repent in place of the 20th head's crime. Tanisha's father named Raiten had obviously escaped Soul Society to the Human World with another elderly chōdhori who was also a Vice Kidō Chief that managed to open the Senkaimon for him, and that's how Raiten started a new life and eventually had Tanisha.) Tanisha has been severely misunderstood for her family's reputation and this damaged the image the other shinigami would have of her, so they became more expectant of her to follow their standards so she can at least fit in with the crowd. Tanisha only developed a strong bond and relationship with Aizen when she became his warden as he challenged her rigid belief that she had no capacity for any other desire besides serving soul society, basically Aizen helped her see a new world and that is why she liberated him from Muken. Tanisha broke Aizen out of Muken if he'd marry her in exchange for liberation, because he's the only one to show her a new world and a new trajectory that no one else has shown her before, and she would explore that path with Aizen).

Oh btw, u got great taste in ships. I love Ichiruki.

I don't have any interest in the Bleach novels (retcons & more nonsense) but this fan novel doesn't sound too bad. Based on what you said, it does sound like this AiTani ship has some similarities with UlquiHime. The girl sounds similar to Ulquiorra in the stoicism & stuff, & both became curious & intrigued by their captive. Aizen was being a manipulator but Ori was just showing her heart to Ulquiorra. I'm surprised Tanisha asked for marriage but I guess Aizen will do whatever it takes to get free, lol. Idk if the novel implies if he will develop any feelings for Tanisha, but I think that Ulquiorra would have definitely developed them for Ori had he lived (or maybe he kind of did?).

Anyway, so yeah, I can see some parallels there. Maybe the writer is an UH fan? Lol.

And oh, lol, thanks. IchiRuki FTW fr. Kubo fumbled big time. None of my main Bleach ships are canon (formerly established canon ships like ByaHisa don't count, for example 🤷‍♀️), and yet are still better than the endgame ones 🤣.

[subway-boss-jericho]

(hammer anon)

I HAVE BEEN BUSY BUT I AM BACK

so! Mechanical Dreams! Is this set during PLA timeline? (As in the. The beginning) and if so, what are some of the relationships between them and the members of the clans we know? And, of course, does either of them bond with Sneasler? They can’t be wardens obviously but! Seeing as they are a lot more friendly with Pokemon than most…

then there’s also their own relationship. I cannot imagine it’s easy to suddenly have a sibling that is 120 ft tall (at least) and by contrast have a sibling that is depth and blood and tiny and vulnerable coming with you on this incredibly dangerous fights. I’d think they would both become a lot more defensive of the other.

oo now I’m thinking about how they would communicate (post blessing). Would ingo be able to talk? Would that be incredibly loud? Could he like. Ping emmet on a device? Do they have some kind of psychic bond? And on a much more angsty note: does ingo feel pain (this being a feature so he can point emmet where he needs repairs. There is! A lot of him to get hurt!)

and!!! The freaking!! Jobs they have to do. You mentioned in your drawing (very lovely btw loved the expression) that Emmet will put on his clan tunic to feel more like himself and less like the Engineer. Does ingo have anything similar? Is there a space where the two of them can calm down (without the whole “there two guys are blessed by god and have saved us” thing coming up)?

whoops this is particularly long- I really love this au and have more to poke/wonder about but I will. Send in another ask later kdndnsnsbj

oh! Hope you are having a fun holiday season!

HIII HII WELCOME BACK :D hii killing me with hammers anon <3 No worries! I've been busy with holiday stuff myself so no worries at all! Every time I see you in my inbox it makes my day

Mechanical dreams! ohh boy I am so not even slightly normal about mecha au get ready for the storm this will probably unleash

Putting the read more here because this post is going to be Very. Long.

Mechanical Dreams! Is this set during PLA timeline?

Yes! It's set in the past, around the same time as the PLA games are! This AU basically fully diverges from canon events very early on, but the main thing that stays consistent are the characters and the setting! Essentially, what if the giratina fuckery caused Darkest Day part 2 (if you don't know the what the darkest day is it's from Sw/Sh) instead of the time/space distortions

if so, what are some of the relationships between them and the members of the clans we know?

Relationships and characters! Hoo boy there is, a LOT. I don't have a whole lot of super elaborate dynamics just from the number of characters there are to talk about, but a lot of the wardens, prominent jubilife characters, and the various leaders are important and Do have opinions on the shit going on. Irida is... Under a very specific, heightened level of tension. She's the one that has to kind of, has to mediate the sudden, impossibly huge shift in the power dynamics between the major players in Hisui.

Feelings about the twins, broadly, are very complicated. Most of pearl clan were, bare minimum, acquainted with them- if not friends or close friends. Diamond clan, you'd have less who explicitly know them, and similar vein with jubilife. Still, I think they'd at least be noteworthy faces, since they're twins. Easy to recognize.

Ingo is made to be manned by a crew. He's too large to be fully self-sufficient, and Emmet can't handle all the work alone. It takes a lot of trust, but eventually folks from each walk of life become members of his crew. He becomes this sort of unifying force that brings together the people of the region- at first, hesitantly. They have to help, or they don't want to work with eachother, or what have you. Jubilife is the last to agree to work together in a scene that lives vividly in my head.

Irida is ultimately proud of their decision to take on this responsibility, even though it's put her under a lot of pressure as the "leader." Irida would end up a member of the crew Adaman is largely fascinated by the whole thing? But I think is more open to the prospect of it being a blessing from Sinnoh, and therefore more interested in cooperating for the greater good here. Adaman may or may not end up on the crew, it could go either way. You'll have to keep in mind that everyone is experiencing levels of confusion, disbelief, and fear. Calaba is sick of this shit :tm: I think she's just exasperated at this point. This doesn't make a lick of sense to her and she's not going to try. She's going to keep her head down and do her job. It should go without saying that Iscan is freaked the fuck out. I think it takes him a while before he can even be in sight of Ingo without trembling like a leaf. Emmet intimidates him, like this. Palina, I think her feelings are complicated. I feel like she would have known the twins better than other wardens, and the sudden change, I almost wonder if she feels like she's lost them. Like they're different people now- when they really aren't. Palina would end up being a crew member. Lian is, to say the very least, extremely out of his depth here. I think he may have been close to the twins- looking up to how they're able to connect with pokemon. For that reason, I think he would be more willing to extend an olive branch. He reconnects with Emmet faster, but I think he comes to accept Ingo as well, even if he doesn't understand him. Lian is a crew member. Gaeric I will be first to admit I don't know much about. I didn't finish the game (yes you can clown me its been years i have no excuse) so I don't have a strong grasp of his character. From what I've been able to glean, he values power to some extent? I'm not sure how he would feel about the twins being blessed. They weren't particularly physically exceptional before their blessings (they're twinks) but I'm not sure where Gaeric would stand on them since the strength they've been given isn't technically "their own." Jury's out on Gaeric, but I think he would ultimately join the crew. I don't have a lot of opinions about the diamond clan unfortunately, I have not thought a lot about what they'd think. I think there's some extremely mixed feelings. Diamond and Jubilife are broadly very uncomfortable with the upset in the power dynamic, since Ingo and Emmet are both from the pearl can.

Kamado is extremely distrusting of everything surrounding the twins, but struggles to present overt hostility due to the innate power play going on here. He is the number one source of conflict between the Twins earning the trust of Jubilife. Laventon- unfortunately, this is so far above his paygrade. I think after the initial shock and confusion passes and he can hold a proper thought, he would be extremely interested in trying to understand what's happened to Ingo and how he works. He would bridge the gap by trying to speak with Emmet first before ever coming near Ingo personally. They grow close, but I don't know if Laventon is ever a part of the crew itself. He assists through his research on the pokemon in the region and his insights from Galar into the dynamax phenomenon/darkest day. Cyllene. Oh it is hard to figure out what's going on with Cyllene. The most important thing to note is that, not only does she end up a member of the crew, but she ends up being the one in charge of the whole operation. I don't know how we get from point A to point B, but essentially she steps up to fill the void Kamado has foolishly left and repair burnt bridges between Jubilife and the clans- But in particular, the twins. She's responsible, authoritative, precise, controlled, and direct. Cyllene is the Captain, and is virtually the number 1 in command, aside from instances where Emmet's word goes. Don't know how a hypothetical Rei or Akari would fit in here. There is no "PLA protagonist," so I'm not sure what would happen to our trusty foil. For the time being I haven't thought about it, so don't worry about them.

.......Okay that's everything important I can think of? oh. Volo. I fuckin forgot Volo, that's hilarious. Volo, to say the absolute least, is outraged. The events past the initial blessing of the twins include him trying to make this as horrible as possible, lashing out at them for "stealing his chance" to meet Sinnoh.

I think that's everything then. TL;DR: Tensions are high, and so many bridges have been burnt. Ingo got turned into what may as well be an eldritch horror to them, and Emmet has to act like the mouthpiece for both of them for a while. Relationships need to be built back up from square one, and Emmet is forced to do a lot of that heavy lifting himself. It takes a long time for anyone to treat Ingo like a proper person because of how barely they can comprehend his existence like this. Some of them talk about him like he's died, others struggle to see him as a person instead of a Pokemon, and some of those more familiar with budding technological advancements see him more akin to a giant metal ship. It's, hard. and has a lasting psychological affect on both of them.

And, of course, does either of them bond with Sneasler? They can’t be wardens obviously but!

I don't know about their relationship with sneasler. I think one of the twin's parents- father? -was sneasler's warden, and one of the twins would have been trained to be her warden, but then... All that. There's a good chance they know customs, but I don't think they would have gotten super close. I think she is familiar and friendly with them, but, the blessing changes everything.

Seeing as they are a lot more friendly with Pokemon than most…

They ARE a lot more friendly than most, with pokemon... And unfortunately, it comes back to bite them, emotionally.

As a result of Ingo's transformation, pokemon will not come near him. He has a certain amount of this, aura of intimidation. With the state of wild pokemon in the time period of PLA, virtually all pokemon avoid Ingo like the plague. He's impossibly big and overwhelmingly dangerous. It doesn't matter how friendly or gentle he presents himself as, pokemon are scared of him. Emmet goes where Ingo goes. He is rarely anywhere but beside him, except in the case of running errands or trying to act as a middle man. He is the only one of the two who can try to take care of/acclimate their pokemon teams to him, but it doesn't, go, great. Emmet, broadly, has to stop training pokemon past a point. It just, doesn't work out, and he cares more about prioritizing his brother.

In the future, after, a lot of this shit, this eventually changes. But not in the time of PLA and Hisui.

then there’s also their own relationship. I cannot imagine it’s easy to suddenly have a sibling that is 120 ft tall (at least) and by contrast have a sibling that is depth and blood and tiny and vulnerable coming with you on this incredibly dangerous fights. I’d think they would both become a lot more defensive of the other.

Haaaa fuck. Their relationship is... so complicated. There are so many layers and facets to it that I don't know if I can break it all down coherently right now. But, no, it's not easy for Emmet's twin to suddenly be an untouchable mountain of metal and electricity, and it's not easy for Ingo's twin to suddenly be an ant-sized speck so small and breakable to him. They've lost virtually all forms of physical contact that they ever had, and need to relearn from scratch how to find new ways to show and receive affection/care. To say that they both become more defensive is quite possibly the understatement of all time, but more than anything, they're at least glad that they have the tools to protect eachother.

How can I summarize it... Ingo is scared of himself to an extent, because he doesn't want to hurt Emmet. Emmet is under a lot of pressure, because it's virtually all on him to ensure that Ingo stays healthy and happy. The technology he's made of essentially doesn't exist in their era, so Emmet is the only person who understands it all well enough to fix anything that might get broken. It's tense, it's hard. They're under a lot of pressure, and they're trying so hard just to make sure that nothing cracks. They care about eachother SO MUCH, which is their greatest strength! But it's also the thing that causes them the most pain.

oo now I’m thinking about how they would communicate (post blessing). Would ingo be able to talk? Would that be incredibly loud? Could he like. Ping emmet on a device? Do they have some kind of psychic bond?

Several of these! Ingo can speak, but as you noted he is loud. He discovers this very fast! And, essentially, chooses to virtually never speak in favor of other modes of communication. He can speak, but he chooses not to. His alternative, most frequent option is using the many many computer terminals onboard to send text messages. He can ping Emmet using this exact thing, so you're on the right track there, but he can also relay communication between people onboard and otherwise use it to speak with anyone else who can see a screen.

They don't have a psychic bond per say, but there are other connections between them. Emmet does get different kinds of reactions from types of signals/warnings on Ingo's system, mainly in the form of like, what essentially constitutes as an adrenaline rush. If Ingo is hurt or in danger, Emmet gets sent a burst of energy like a motivator to go and solve the problem. I don't know if either of them actually know consciously that this happens, or if they do, they don't figure it out until later.

And on a much more angsty note: does ingo feel pain (this being a feature so he can point emmet where he needs repairs. There is! A lot of him to get hurt!)

I suppose this question qualifies as "angsty" but it really is a reasonable assertion. Yes, as I implied a couple times already, Ingo does feel pain. It's worth noting that it takes a lot more for him to actually feel any kind of pain or otherwise sustain an injury, but that's likely a given. If some of his plating gets scuffed or dented, he probably won't even notice. Same thing for a small breach or tear. Something needs to hit him, hard, to actually make him feel something. Large wound, deep laceration, intense blunt-force trauma. It's going to take more than a couple scratches to make the 120'-400' mech buckle, but it's going to take a lot more than a wound to keep him down, too.

and!!! The freaking!! Jobs they have to do.

Almost all repairs are post-battle, although there are some things that can be addressed mid-fight on occasion. Most of the job of the crew is to maintain him, get him fuel, and otherwise set him up to do his job. He's already larger than most all Dynamax pokemon by Several Hundred Feet, but he needs the support of others to set him up before he can charge forward.

Like those little pull-back toy cars.

Another important thing is helping him coordinate himself. Everyone tasked to help essentially assistant-pilot him, scout information, and read the state of battle helps him outsource a lot of the heat-of-the-moment stress into something more manageable. He doesn't feel comfortable or familiar with his own body after taking on this form, so especially for the first few battles, having someone else like. Co-pilot on the controls to help him move and fight is really necessary. Emmet handles it until aforementioned other crew comes along, such as Cyllene and Irida.

You mentioned in your drawing (very lovely btw loved the expression) that Emmet will put on his clan tunic to feel more like himself and less like the Engineer. Does ingo have anything similar? Is there a space where the two of them can calm down (without the whole “there two guys are blessed by god and have saved us” thing coming up)?

His options are, unfortunately, very limited. He's too large to hide almost anywhere, and most "safe" places are those near inhabited places, which also aren't ""safe"" for him to unwind/be around/(many people also are either wary, hostile, or scared of him at first).

The icelands is close to home, which is definitely the "safest" place, but as you mentioned it comes with a lot of emotional + mental baggage. He also doesn't like the cold, especially now being made of metal. Hard to warm back up.

When searching for respite, I think the twins go back to where they were first blessed near the temple of Sinnoh. The mountains can help shield Ingo from distrustful gazes and otherwise give him what is virtually the only privacy available to him. But, there's also an outcropping near the temple where Emmet and Ingo first sorted things out post-blessing, before returning to pearl clan, and that spot holds a significance to them. If Ingo was going to "hide" anywhere, it would be there.

unfortunately, there is virtually no normalcy for Ingo after receiving his blessing. The closest he gets to respite is replaying old memory files from before that day, which feel so close to when he first experienced them that it serves as a comfort sometimes.

whoops this is particularly long-

You're speakin to the fuckin king of rambles. Welcome to the castle (wheeze)

To say the absolute least. I have a lot of thoughts about them. This story is. so hard to tell. because almost all of it is exclusively in my head and it is SO complicated. There are so many problems and struggles and complications, and man. I love it.

Thank you for your super thoughtful ask <3 I love talking about mecha AU. I've been writing this for. dear god. a number of hours that should probably not be as big as it is. I LOOOOVE the mecha au. I've spent months hyperfixating on it in the past. I have so much yet it's hard to elaborate without prompting because of ^^^^ all the above complexities- It's hard to pin down what I should talk about.

Thanks for the ask as always! It means everything to me! Happy holidays/new year!

Mecha AU Masterlist

[crows-of-buckets]

Great news, figured out a way for Ena to learn about Aviae!!!

Anyways, his older sibling is Revari (other rook, but in my canon worldstate they never become Rook. Ena just fit as the main character more which sucks bc I love Revari... Sigh anyways)

Revari has the same origin that they did as Rook: free some slaves, piss off some magisters. However, Varric isn't there to take them away to keep them from getting in trouble, so the Shadow Dragons decide to move them down to Dock Town. They basically get assigned Tarquin as a babysitter (that does not go well those two have a. Dynamic. Definitely one of the dynamics ever I've talked about it on here before, but when Revari isn't Rook those two figure out their shit SOOO much sooner. Actually have time to talk about their relationship and come to the realization that they are definitely just friends). Anyways during this time, they end up meeting Neve and the two become friends pretty quickly. Revari is a bit more hands on with the way they go about shadow dragoning (I've considered them working with Fenris in the past, which I kind of want to explore more eventually but know in my heart they've done at least one job together.) And by that I mean they have never thought twice about anything they have ever done. Both Revari and Ena have the worst impulse control known to man it's crazy.

Anyways, while Neve and Revari are friendly before the game, they don't actually become close friends until Minrathous falls and Neve stays in the city to help them recover. Revari has had to rein in their "quick thinking" (by that I mean charging head first into any and every fight) and has to stay more on the shadowy side of things. They're only alive because Tarquin had the good sense to talk them out of immediately picking a fight with all the venatori they saw (they aren't a complete idiot most of the time, but it seems my Surana family tree is extremely prone to getting very pissed off very quickly)

During this time Revari and Neve become very close, and by the time Neve returns to the Veilguard it's solidly crossed into mutual crushing. But they both have much bigger things to worry about, so nothing really comes of it until the blights are over.

Post Veilguard, they eventually start dating; I think their romance is still pretty close to how neverook goes in game, and both of them are fucking TERRIFIED of fucking it up. Neve still calls them "Trouble", all of that. Anyways it's probably a few months before Neve brings up like "hey maybe I should introduce you to the veilguard. You'd probably get along well you're definitely their brand of crazy"

Revari agrees, and NOW I'm getting back to the point I was initially planning for this post 💀. This is where Revari and Ena meet, and while they don't have instant recognition, it goes something like this.

Revari: So you're Rook. Is that your real name or...?

Ena: Nickname, my actual name is Ena. And yours?

Revari: Revari. Huh that's so weird I had a younger sister named Ena.

Ena: that's also weird bc I had an older sister named Revari.

Revari: ...

Ena:...

Revari: Are you from-

Ena: Denerim? Yeah. Oh my fucking god

The two of them get along pretty well (eventually I think they DO fight about the whole Minrathous/Treviso thing but tbh I think the joy of reuniting with the younger sibling you thought was dead makes Revari willing to ignore it. For now) Long story short Ena learns that he is in fact the cousin of The Hero of Fereldan (he had a suspicion bc he does remember his last name being Surana before he joined the crows, but he kinda convinced himself that he had made it up as a way of coping when he was a child or something)

Aviae and Ena do eventually meet, but Ena procrastinates it for months he is TERRIFIED of that woman. She has successfully survived TWO different crow contracts on her life, AND SHES CLOSE FRIENDS WITH ZEVRAN ARIANAI. He's slightly convinced that this is some elaborate plot to take him and Lucanis out or something. Aviae finds this hilarious when she learns about it

I think I've decided that I want Ena to be one of the elves taken during the "plague" in denerim during the first blight. Assuming DAV takes place in 9:49, he would have been 8 or 9 I think I need to check my timeline. He's my Surana's cousin, and the younger brother of one of my other Rook's (Revari isn't rook in my canon worldstate, but they are still a Mercar. They left for Tevinter at around 13 when their magic developed). Anyways him being my Surana's cousin is probably something he himself never actually learns (sadly). He doesn't even really talk about being from Fereldan at all, and I can't really say for certain that he would even remember his last name before he became a crow. Plus, he transitioned (kept his name tho) and so did his only sibling, so the likelihood of them recognizing each other is so painfully low.

Anyways, one of the Tevinter mages in the alienage claimed Ena had the plague, he gets shipped off. I haven't decided whether he was bought by the crows or scouted after somehow escaping (this one is becoming far less likely the more I think on it); either way, he ends up in the crows by the time he's 9. He gets his face scar like right before joining, so the first few months are even worse.

His magic developed not long after, and tbh this is the only reason I think he even survived. He was never really good at fighting in regular combat, but he was pretty good at getting the fuck out of the way when someone was trying to kill him. I think the Crows take better care of their mages (I can't remember if this is canon or a head canon but whatever) because they're a better investment. (Even when they become abominations, as crows are known to do occasionally, I do think generally they receive "kinder" treatment)

He meets Viago somewhere around age 10 (they have around a 8-10 year age gap, so Viago would be 18-20. At least going off of Viago being 34 to 36 in Veilguard. Everyday I pray that bioware will release and actual timeline bc god I am tired of figuring this shit out 😭), and immediately decides that he is going to be loyal to this guy in particular. I don't know why he decides this, but he's like 10 so it was probably some stupid reasoning.

At first Viago is annoyed, but I think after a certain point his brain kicked in and he went "wait having another crow (even one so young) who is insanely loyal to me is an AMAZING investment on my end". Teia isn't around to be his moral compass, so at this time in his life at least 9/10 of his decisions are made to further his own goals. This is around when he starts actually taking an interest in Ena, and keeping him around as an investment. He starts teaching him poisons, and building up Ena's poison resistance. Ena is notoriously loyal as hell and twice as stubborn so Viago 100% plans on using that to his advantage. I think Ena's magic developed not too long after this so he immediately becomes more useful lmao

Depending on when Viago became Talon, I do think it may be possible that Ena was one of the first to become a full crow under his leadership. If Viago is ~30 in Eight Little Talons, he had to have been a Talon for a few years, so he was probably made one in his late 20s I think? Teia is mentioned being one of the younger talons, and she's ~28 in eight little talons I think, and I'm pretty sure she's been a Talon for a few years at this point. Anyways, assuming Viago became a talon between 26-28, Ena could have been one of the first full crows under his command, being made a crow between 16-18. However, timelines like this make my head hurt so this may be completely inaccurate lmao

Somewhere between Viago realizing Ena is a good investment and Ena becoming a full crow, Viago becomes annoyingly fond of his little protege. He ends up bailing him out of trouble FAR more often than he would like. Ena is painfully good at becoming the annoying younger brother figure in anyone's life, and Viago is NOT exempt from that.

[utilitycaster]

oh man I have unlocked the Siege of Weisshaupt, which I know is a whole fucking thing that locks out a bunch of other things, so it's BIG SIDEQUEST TIME FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE. Anyway. took a break to get stuff done but I'm going back in but FIRST:

the mourn watch encounters with Emmrich are funny because like. I am mourn watch! I am a warrior. I know the rituals and my only magic is Doing Necrotic Damage. Also he is incredible. we bonded over being orphans, he revealed his immense fear of death, and since then he has bitched about Orlais, academic bureaucracy, the fact that the king of Nevarra is dead but we're pretending he's not (this is not helping my Locked Tomb references btw), and how no one else gets that the mourn watch is a specific SUBSET of Mortalitasi. I will say. as a woman, playing a woman in game, i'm like I know this man is canonically bisexual but if I met him IRL I would 100% assume he is not into women; it's that more than the age that has me like will you just be my thesis advisor and also eccentric uncle. I love hanging out with him though.

fuck the hossberg wetlands for real. terrible place. disgusting. only good thing is Antoine and Evka and the First Warden told them to LEAVE. icb I have quests there to do. I actually do like the blight/crystal clearing stuff because it is very satisfying to just slash/throw a shield at something and have it fall apart but it's also so fucking gross, and the First Warden sucks so bad, and it's dark and wet. I also get frustrated with Rivain frankly, and sometimes Arlathan. My city-dweller temperament is showing, honestly; I hate to admit it because I doomed the city etc etc but I was harsh on Minrathous due to it being central early on when I was getting carsick from all the fucking ladders. I also really haven't spent much time in Treviso, other than to save it from a dragon. I gotta do something about that. Anyway I think it's like. Minrathous/Treviso tied for first, Necropolis second, Arlathan third, Rivain would be a beautiful vacation spot but fuck i hate navigating there fourth, and FUCK the Hossberg Wetlands.

Harding down bad for Taash from the jump. I love it so much. Neve and Lucanis are doing some elaborate weird flirting dance and Harding is just like "can I ride you? in battle." she's so fucking valid for that.

[rockaberryx]

I hope in dreadwolf we get to see the hero of ferelden as well as whichever hawke sibling became a grey warden and see them help us stop solas lol (btw searrah is my warden and bethany became one in my “canon” playthroughs)